Paul Mescal confirms he wants to be involved in The Beatles biopics
Irish actor Paul Mescal has confirmed his interest in playing a member of the Fab Four in the upcoming four-part The Beatles biopic, directed by Sam Mendes.
Mescal first found success in 2020 when he starred in the hit coming-of-age series Normal People, a television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name. Since then, he has starred in a slew of critically acclaimed independent films, including Aftersun in 2022 and All of Us Strangers last year.
The actor is currently promoting his biggest project yet, a leading role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel, which is set to hit cinemas this November. Mescal spoke about the weight of the project during a conversation with GQ, describing it as “by far and away the biggest thing I’ve done in terms of a public-facing responsibility.”
Despite the project’s intimidating nature, Mescal acknowledged that he has “now built in personal infrastructure where I know the map of what I want to be as an actor. So it’s not the be-all and end-all.”
Mescal addressed the rumours that he might be taking on the mammoth task of portraying Paul McCartney in an upcoming four-part biopic about the Beatles. The actor stated that he would “love to be involved”. However, there is currently “nothing set in stone.”
What do we know about The Beatles biopics so far?
In February, Sony Pictures and Neal Street Productions confirmed that they were working on four biopics about the Fab Four, with each film focusing on a different member’s perspective of the Beatles’ story.
Sam Mendes is set to direct all four films. The filmmaker made his feature debut back in 1999 with the Academy Award-winning American Beauty. Since then, he has directed Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road, helmed two James Bond movies, and also shot the war film, 1917, in just two takes. Mendes set up Neal Street Productions in 2003 alongside Pippa Harris and Caro Newington.
No casting details have been revealed yet, but rumours have been swirling around the project. In June, Vogue said that the cast was “alleged to include” Mescal as McCartney, alongside Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, and Charlie Rowe as George Harrison.
Keoghan has earned recent success through his BAFTA-winning performance in The Banshees of Insherin and Emerald Fennell’s divisive Saltburn, while Dickinson starred in the Palme d’Or-winning Triangle of Sadness and Sean Durkin’s sports biopic The Iron Claw.
All four instalments of the biopic are expected to arrive in 2027, with shooting planned for next year.
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